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  • Faces of Kadena: The people behind the mission

    Kadena Air Base is home to over 19,000 personnel including U.S. Air Force Airmen, sister service members, and both U.S. and Japanese civilians who each have their own story to tell.

  • Combat Logistic Challenge: 18th LRS stays ready

    The 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron recently hosted its first-ever Combat Logistics Challenge, an event designed to test the physical and mental resilience of the Airmen who keep vital missions going at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Dec. 10, 2025.

  • U.S. and Japan sister flights team up for bilateral flight

    U.S. Air Force Maj. Jesse Ruter, a weapons systems officer assigned to the 18th Operations Group, joined Japan Air Self-Defense Force pilots from the 204th Fighter Squadron for a bilateral flight at Naha Air Base, Japan, Nov. 19, 2025, strengthening the partnership between two allied air forces.

  • Building bridges: KLI students tour Kadena Air Base

    Students and teachers from the Kadena Language Institute visited Kadena Air Base on July 18, 2025, for a hands-on tour of key operational facilities, including the engine test cell and the KC-135 Stratotanker flight simulator.

  • Honoring Ancestors: Tradition of Shimi in Okinawa

    Each year in Spring, Okinawan families observe Shimi, a deeply rooted cultural tradition centered around honoring their ancestors. During this time, families come together to clean ancestral tombs, offer food and gifts, and gather in front of these sacred spaces. This custom is one of the most

  • Going the distance: Okinawa Marathon 2025

    Refreshed by a rainy start, service members and their families cheered on the participants, offering encouragement and much-needed supplies along the course. Volunteers stationed at various checkpoints along the route provided water, fruit, motivation, and medical support, ensuring the athletes had

  • Southern Beach 2025

    Southern Beach is a locally organized, bilateral exercise that brings the 18th Wing and JASDF units together to practice leading, mission planning, flying, and debriefing with one another. This exercise is a continual effort to enhance interoperability between U.S. Forces and host nation partners.

  • 5th Air Force deputy commander visits Kadena

    U.S. Air Force Col. John Schutte visited Kadena Air Base for an on-the-ground and aerial tour of the base to better learn of Kadena’s combat capabilities, operational readiness and its mission in keeping a free and open Indo-Pacific.

  • Shimi holiday on Kadena

    A Shinto priest leads a family in prayer before beginning to move their family’s remains at Kadena Air Base, Japan, April 7, 2024. The visiting families came together to pay respects to their ancestors for the annual holiday of Shimi. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cedrique Oldaker)

  • Kadena hosts MLK Speech Competition

    U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Winsome Culley, Force Support Squadron Career Assistance Advisor, informs the judges on the rules of the Kadena Air Base Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Competition and how the scoring and time system will work at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Jan. 10, 2024. Martin